Red Dragon [MA]

Years ago, FBI agent Will Graham unravelled a great mystery and put Dr. Hannibal Lecter behind bars where he became and remains infamous. Now a new serial killer stalks the streets, killing entire families, smashing mirrors, and embedding shards in his victims’ eyes. The tabloids have dubbed him ‘The Tooth Fairy’ for the bite marks he leaves on his victims and Graham has been pulled out of early retirement to help catch him and stop the murders. But with time against him, Graham must resort to the near unthinkable: a reunification and collaboration with Hannibal Lecter. 

Made ten years after Hannibal Lecter graced our screens and turned off our tastes for fava beans and Chianti, Red Dragon is the prequel to Silence of the Lambs and the first of the four books in Thomas Harris’ series. Although this movie does, almost at every step, put us back in mind of the original Hannibal classic, it doesn’t quite reach the dizzying and thrilling heights of its predecessor. Nevertheless, it’s still a damned suspenseful and spine-chilling movie. 

Years ago, FBI agent Will Graham unravelled a great mystery and put Dr. Hannibal Lecter behind bars where he became and remains infamous. Now a new serial killer stalks the streets, killing entire families, smashing mirrors, and embedding shards in his victims’ eyes. The tabloids have dubbed him ‘The Tooth Fairy’ for the bite marks he leaves on his victims and Graham has been pulled out of early retirement to help catch him and stop the murders. But with time against him, Graham must resort to the near unthinkable: a reunification and collaboration with Hannibal Lecter. 

The sad truth is that you cannot look at this film without comparing it to its highly successful predecessor. And the way in which the story plays out and the film is shot only increases the likelihood of this happening. However, the story is completely different and whilst there are multiple stories running together to form one film, the central focus still is the goal of Graham to catch the killer. 

The relationship between Graham and Lecter is only touched on, hinted at, not really developed, which weakens the film I think because really half the fun lies in those scenes where Anthony Hopkins is just chatting away eloquently and without animation. 

Whilst Hopkins reprises his role of Lecter to spine-tingling effect, the real star of the show is Ralph Fiennes as the infamous ‘Tooth Fairy’. As was proven in Silence of the Lambs, it’s always the ones you least suspect and Ralph delivers a memorable, mysterious, and captivating performance that is both terrifying and tragic. At this point I think it’s fair to just put it out in the universe that there is a hint of the Bates-complex at work in this film. 

At the end of the day, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie. It’s shot beautifully and definitely piques fear, suspense, empathy, and various other emotional responses from its audience. But I think when you really come down it, it’s a prequel that is essentially a remake of its predecessor and therein lays its one issue. Not a huge one, but one. 

Starring Edward Norton, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, Harvey Keitel, Anthony Head, Ken Leung, Frankie Faison, Tyler Patrick Jones, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Red Dragon is a thrilling film filled with murder, gore, suspense, comedy, cannibalism, drama, and a somewhat obvious slide-in, metafictive reference to the sequel at the end. Just because I say it’s not as good as its predecessor, don’t let that throw you off completely because this movie is pretty damned great.